The Unexpected Variable
by TrueManevolanGirl4899
Summary: "She was the first one here, Thomas. You want to know what it's like to spend a month here, alone? Go and ask her."
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, this can be taken a couple of ways:**

 **A) A one-shot**

 **B) A prequel to a later story that I may or may not publish, depending on the opinions I get about this**

 **C) A stand alone story, like a Maze Runner prequel, where I essentially play with the characters that James Dashner has created. I could add on stories about Indigo interacting with the boys and pretty much whatever. This version would just be me messing around with the idea of a girl in the midst of all those Gladers and how it would change the dynamics of the Glade and stuff. As this is the most likely path that the story will take, I am open to suggestions and prompts about ideas for Indi and the boys.**

 **I think that's about it. So, read on!**

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I was the first one.

They talk about how someone had to spend a month alone in the Glade. It wasn't Alby, though that's who the boys think it was. It was me. Alby came up one month after I got there. I'd never seen a boy so scared of anything… or, at least, I don't think so.

My first month alone was terrifying. I spent the first two days huddled in the metal box that had brought me here. It was only until I was sick from hunger that I finally ventured out. I was in the middle of a grassy area, almost like a field. In front of me, maybe half a mile from where the box was stationed, were thick woods. The trees were tall, but didn't necessarily look too old. They formed a sort of semicircle around half of the field. Beyond them was a wall. Squinting in the sunlight, I realized that the wall was more than twenty times my own height, and even without my memory, I knew that I was short. The wall stretched for about a mile one way, and then there were corners on either end, where the walls stretched for another mile, before joining the last segment, which was also about a mile in length. It was a square, concrete prison. It terrified me. On every side, there was an opening through the wall. It let into a concrete passageway, that I didn't dare investigate any closer. I figured out that the openings were sealed on my third evening. My first night outside the box.

The first time the doors closed, they made an awful, grating sound, that scared me to death. I tried to return to the box, but found it gone. On either side of a hole, were huge metal doors that I managed to close, by pulling with all of my strength to lift them and then letting them fall down over the hole. I spent the night in a tree, not sleeping, but just watching. Waiting to see if the doors would open again. All through the night, I heard loud shrieks coming from behind the walls. I heard the whirring of metal, and I found myself hoping that the doors would not open. I begged in my mind that I would wake up. That this would just be a terrible nightmare.

The doors opened in the morning.

The box returned five days later with some supplies. There was food and water, but not enough to last me for long. I also found a small knife, two changes of clothes, and some flint and steel to start a fire.

The box returned every seven days, which amounted to once a week.

The fourth time it returned, it carried something new.

Another person.

I was happy, but also timid. It took a lot of bravery for me to peer over the edge, and when I met the dark eyes of a boy, I almost jumped back in fright. I saw, though, that he was just as scared as I was, if not more so. He looked to be about sixteen.

So, I helped him out of the box, and tried to answer his questions as best as I could. We built a haven that night. We hoisted enormous leaves up over branches, and tied great wooden planks together. It didn't last, but it worked for a while. He remembered his name only hours after his arrival.

" _Alby," the dark-skinned boy said quietly._

" _What do you mean?" I questioned him, confused._

 _He looked at me with something akin to happiness in his eyes. "My name is Alby," he pronounced with more surety. Then he grinned widely. "I remembered my name."_

 _I almost smiled then. Boys were very strange. "Yes, and that's likely the last thing that you'll remember. Now, let's keep moving if we want somewhere to sleep."_

That was three years ago. I know that I was thirteen, but I don't know how. I just _knew_.

A month after Alby, another boy arrived. His name was Klaus. He was very tall, with dark hair and tan skin. I liked him very much. His downfall, however, was his curiosity. He questioned the walls and how they moved, and what was beyond them. One day, he ventured out past the walls.

He didn't return.

I nearly wept as I carved the name 'Klaus' into the stone doors the next night. I struck a line through his name with a small knife. It would serve as a reminder for me.

" _Never again," said Alby. "If there are any more, we have to make sure that they stay out of there."_

 _I nodded mutely._

Alby and I decided that we would call the grassy area the Glade, because that seemed to suit it better than anything else I could come up with.

As we listened to the howls of the monsters beyond the walls, I named them, too.

" _They sound almost sad," Alby noted. "Like they're mourning a great loss."_

" _Like they're grieving," I murmured. "Grievers."_

And so it stuck.

We learned to expect the box to arrive every week. About once every four times, sometimes five, the box contained another person. All of them were boys.

The box has returned 164 times since it brought me here. If it comes once a week, then that means that it's been just over three years.

The fourth person to enter the Glade was Newt. He wasn't scared at all when he saw me. I envied him a little for that. To be without fear was an unknown concept to me.

Alby was tentative about this new boy, who was probably about fourteen years old at the time.

" _Who are you?" Alby asked. Demanded._

" _Don't know. Who are you?" the boy raised an eyebrow._

" _Name's Alby."_

" _What about her?" Newt pointed at me._

 _I timidly took a step back. I couldn't do it. Not after Klaus._

 _Alby shrugged. "Don't know. She hasn't told me yet. But she was here first, so if she says something, you listen. Got it?"_

 _The boy smiled a little. "Got it."_

As much as I tried to avoid it, Newt did end up becoming my friend. He seemed to make it his job to find out my name, which I still had not shared with anyone yet. He accepted that we did not enter leave the Glade, and thus we accepted him. In between his arrival and the next, Alby, Newt, and I became very close. We had a sort of family dynamic: Alby was the protective, serious one, Newt would not give up a chance to try and make me smile, even though he had not yet succeeded, and I was their sister, in a sense. Though, they didn't know my name, they were content with calling me "girl."

As other boys arrived, I drew back from the group, disappearing into the forest for extended periods of time. Alby and Newt would take me aside and scold me for leaving when I returned, but they were never harsh. They seemed to realize that I had spent a month alone here, so I knew it better than they did. This in contrast to any of the other boys wandering off for a night. That warranted a night in the Pit, which Newt and Alby had originally built to store food, but was changed to the Pit after they and the other boys built the homestead, which included a sort of kitchen.

I permanently seceded after the arrival of Minho. Some of the other boys had taken notice of me, and as a girl, they realized what that meant. Scared, I told Alby I was leaving. He tried to get me to stay, even threatened to lock me in the Pit, but after a somewhat-loud argument, of which Newt was involved, I managed to convince them that I would be fine. I would live by the small stream, located near the middle of the heavily wooded area. Reluctantly, they agreed to let me go, on three conditions. The first was that I had to visit, which I half-heartedly agreed to. The second, was that if I _ever_ needed help, I would come to them. I had never seen Newt's face more serious than when he and Alby made me promise this, which I did. The last one, was that I had to tell them my name. At first, I declined, thinking that they were joking, but I saw then that they weren't. So, finally caving, I told them my name:

Indigo. Which Newt immediately shortened to Indi.

" _I'm serious. I'm calling you Indi. Indigo's too formal."_

 _I shook my head._

 _Alby knelt to my eye level and put a hand on my shoulder. "Remember the conditions, Indigo. Please."_

 _Newt stood against the wall with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. "Relax, Alby. She'll remember. If she doesn't, we can lock her in the Pit."_

 _Alby didn't even glance at Newt. "Remember."_

 _I leaned in close to whisper in his ear. "I will."_

And that was my beginning here.

* * *

 **Remember, please review and keep in mind that I am open to suggestions and prompts for Indi!**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **TMG4899**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi, I'm back! Enjoy the chapter! Huge shout-out to all of my reviewers!**

* * *

"Hey, have you ever seen what's out there?" Alby asked me.

I shook my head vigorously.

"Alright, alright. Just askin'," he defended himself.

We sat in the large grassy area, sorting out a few of the supplies that had just been brought by the Box. Alby kept glancing up at the openings in the towering walls. The green ivy was lush, but could not hide the cold, gray stone that lay underneath it. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I returned my gaze to the bags of nuts that I was picking through.

Alby, finally able to tear his eyes off the walls, looked at me oddly. "Are you going to eat those?"

I wrinkled my nose a little bit. "I don't think I like nuts."

"Well… do you remember trying them before?"

I shrugged as I answered. "Not really. I just… don't like them. You know what I mean; I know that I'm 13, but I can't remember my birthday or parents or anything.

Alby smiles, but tried to hide it by looking down at the few knives that were sent up. He fingers one of them.

"What?" I ask him.

"You just said more to me in ten seconds than you've said to me in a week."

I roll my eyes and bite my tongue to keep from smiling.

Alby turns his head to scan the Glade. "The box hasn't left yet."

I shrug again. "Sometimes it takes awhile." Feeling my legs ache, I stretch them. As I do so, I hear a rumbling. A tremor runs through the ground. The walls in front of us begin to slide closed.

Alby stands quickly to watch them. "I'll never get over that," he shakes his head. I watch the light in the sky slowly grow dimmer. The air turns cool as the sky darkens. I close my eyes and try to imagine the sun sinking below a horizon. The walls block our view of the sun's rising and setting.

When my eyes open, I see Alby has gathered up the items. He holds his hand out for the bag of nuts.

"If you won't eat them, I will. You have to eat, though. Go find something. I'll put this stuff away."

He begins the walk towards our shelter as I stand and arch my back.

I jump slightly as a whirring of gears is heard as the box descends down into the dark hole. My imagination starts to paint nasty pictures in my mind. I imagine being pulled into the dark hole by a human hand. Then I start to imagine what kind of animal would make the terrible sounds we hear from beyond the walls at night.

I run back to the shelter, nearly slamming into Alby as he opened the entrance flap.

He catches my shoulder as I stumble. "Careful, girl. I don't know if you'd survive a collision. Did you find something to eat?"

I nod my head in an affirmative answer, even though I know it's a lie.

"Good. Wanna settle in for the night?" He asks me.

"Yes," is my whispered reply.

The shelter we built is rather crude, I suppose, but I can't help being the tiniest bit proud of it. We built it in about two hours, after Alby, the day he'd arrived, had declared he was _not_ sleeping in a tree.

We chose a tree on the very edge of the clearing; the tallest one with the thickest branches. At first we had slung enormous leaves over the branches. They had lasted three nights before falling apart. The day after that, the box came. It brought tarps, ropes, and wood planks. With such limited supplies, we'd had to get a bit creative. In the end, it went like this:

The ten widest boards (around 5 feet in width; 8 feet in height) had been driven into the sandy dirt long-end-up. We tied them together as well as we could. They formed a rather sloppy semicircle, leaving about a three foot space between the last board and the stout tree trunk. A branch stuck out directly over the middle of our circle, which was about 32 feet in diameter. We slung the largest tarp over the branch and spread it out on either side, using more rope to fasten it down. The smaller tarp we hung over the opening, to make a sort of door.

Inside our shelter, we had made beds out of the leaves and some thick blankets that the box had brought. We had agreed that one day we would hang hammocks.

We had a small fire pit right outside the entrance; close enough for heat, but not so close that the flying embers could catch our shelter on fire. Every night, Alby and I sit near the fire. We always sit across from each other. I study him through the flames that leap and dance, and sometimes I can feel him watching me. Sometimes we talk. Like tonight.

Alby is restless.

"Maybe we should try it sometime. We don't have to go very far, you know. Just far enough to see if it lets out anywhere." He tosses knives at a small wooden target he carved.

I glare at him, though he doesn't see it.

A shriek cuts through the night.

Alby jumps.

"On the other hand, we wouldn't want to run into whatever that is." His eyes meet mine. "They sound almost sad. Like they're mourning."

"They're grieving," I murmured. "Grievers."

I pull my knees up to my chest and look away. I trace my finger in the dirt. The circles I draw are nothing special, but drawing them seems to help calm me.

"You know, I think you're lying," Alby suddenly says.

"'Bout what?"

"Your name," he answers me. "I think you know it, you just haven't told me."

I lift my shoulders uncomfortably. "Maybe."

We fall into silence. Then Alby perks up.

"Did you hear-"

His question is cut off as a knife whistles through the air. It slides past my face, nicking my ear. It flies through the small fire and falls to the ground at Alby's feet. He jumps up, grabbing his own knives and raising them to throw.

I can't move. Whether it's from shock or fear, I can't tell.

"Show yourself!" Alby shouts into the darkness.

We don't hear any other indication that there's anyone else there.

Alby creeps around the fire.

"Get up," he tells me. "We're going in the shelter."

I still don't shift from my position. Alby growls in frustration.

"Come on, girl."

Finally, he pulls me up off the ground and gives me a shove towards the shelter. This, finally, shakes me out of my paralysis. I slip inside the shelter and huddle down on my sleeping mat, quivering.

Alby follows close behind me. He makes sure that the cloth door is in place, before turning back to me.

"What was that?"

I'm not in the mood to argue, but I can't bite back a sarcastic comment. "A knife. Would you like a visual aid to go with your definition?"

"That's not what I meant." Alby kneels down in front of me. "Why didn't you move?"

A trickle of blood slides down my neck. Alby sees it.

"It hit you," he realizes.

"I'm fine. Only nicked my ear," I brush it off.

Alby rolls his eyes and slides onto his own sleeping mat. "Next time, move."

I smirk. "No promises."

"You sleep. I'll take first watch," Alby tells me.

I nod, though I know that he is well aware that neither of us will be sleeping tonight.

* * *

 **I'm cruel, I know, I'm sorry!**

 **However, keep in mind that more review will gain you, my dear readers, a quicker update!**

 **Thanks for reading, please review!**

 **TMG4899**


	3. Chapter 3

**So, this is a continuation of Chapter 2, and I originally meant to make it longer, to reveal some stuff, but I found that I couldn't continue where I stopped. It was too sweet!**

 **So, I give you Chapter 3!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3-**

When Alby touched my shoulder to wake me for the next watch, I sat straight up. I think he knew that I wasn't going to fall asleep.

"Wake me at dawn," he told me as he lay down and yawned, though I could still see a shimmer of fear in his dark eyes. If he fell asleep, I wouldn't wake him. But I nodded anyway, to appease him.

As he settled himself on his sleeping mat, I moved to the edge of our shelter, near the cloth flap. Alby had secured it by tying short lengths of rope through holes in the bottom corners, securing them to curved sticks, and driving them into the ground.

I drew my knees up to my chest and held them with my arms, letting myself shiver in the night. Usually, Alby and I didn't see the need for night shifts like this, but sometimes we would, if something strange had happened during the day or we heard more shrieks than normal coming from the creatures- Grievers, I guess we could call them now.

It was during these times that I allowed myself to be weak. With Alby, it was just the two of us. I felt like we each had to be strong, a little like a show of strength. I still didn't even like to talk to him much, but I was slowly becoming more comfortable with the idea of being trapped with a boy.

The night held many terrors for me. Alby had told me once, shortly after his arrival, that I looked like a ghost. Granted, he had much darker skin than I did, but even as I studied my hands during the day, my fair skin _did_ look very white. Sometimes, when there was a breeze, I would catch glimpses of my hair being lifted up in the gentle wind. My hair was light, as well. Not white, but not quite yellow either.

The first month that I was here, I knew nothing about my eyes, and this bothered me. Alot. No matter how hard I tried to identify a color in my reflection in the moving water from the stream, I just couldn't quite pin it down. I knew they were big, but that was about all I knew about them.

That was one of the first times I asked Alby a question.

" _Alby?" The word felt strange on my tongue, and my voice was barely louder than a hoarse whisper._

 _But he heard me._

" _Yeah?" He turned to look at me. We had finally completed the shelter and were sitting at our small make-shift fire pit._

" _Do you…" I stopped and swallowed. Talking to him was difficult, because I didn't trust him yet. I had to know, though, and an overwhelming sense of impatience washed over me. It successfully damped my fear; for a moment at least. "Can you tell me what color they are?" I said this in a hurried breath. "My eyes," I clarified, catching his confused glance._

" _They're blue. A real nice blue, too. They kind of seem silver at times, but always with shades of blue," he told me in a somewhat gentle tone. He shifted so he was facing me. "What about mine?"_

" _Brown," I said to him, feeling obligated to answer. "Brown like rich soil, except they sparkle sometimes. Not like dirt."_

 _He nodded and turned away from me again._

So I was a ghost. Alby tried to talk to me more, but eventually gave up and coaxed me instead to eat rather than speak. He had seen me scared, but he had not seen my true fear. The panic I could exhibit was astounding. Not in front of Alby, though.

This was my fear, and so I kept it to myself.

That night as I huddled near the entrance, I kept thinking about the knife that had been thrown, and who could have thrown it.

And then I remembered the box. It's late departure.

This made me consider the amount of time since Alby had come up.

It _had_ been about a month since his arrival, which was the amount of time I spent alone before him. That must be it. There was another human in the Glade with us. This thought scared me more than anything else so far.

Forgetting my promise in my mind earlier, I crept across the floor and tentatively poked Alby. His eyes opened immediately, making me think he had never fallen asleep.

"Alby," my voice croaked out. "It's another human."

He almost seemed to roll his eyes. "What else do you think could have thrown that knife, girl?"

I shrugged, feeling a bit foolish, but still shaken enough to explain to him where the human had come from.

"He, or she, is from the box, Alby. Remember it wouldn't leave? And it's been a month since you." I tried to describe it to him between silent, heavy breaths and broken words.

His eyes closed. "I'd been wondering if that had any connection." He scrutinized my face closely. "Look, you're obviously shaken up. Why don't I take the rest-"

"No." I shook my head fervently. "I'm not sleeping anywa-"

"Stop it, and listen to me. I'll take the rest of the watch _with you_. I can't sleep either, okay?"

I didn't nod, but since I didn't protest, he took it as confirmation.

"Calm down and lay on your mat. We can talk," he tried to reassure me.

"I'm fine."

He snorted quietly. "If that was fine, then I'd hate to see you have a panic attack. _Lay down_ ," he told me.

Still apprehensive, I finally reclined on my mat. I turned myself so I could see Alby.

"You may have been here first, but you're not alone anymore. It's alright to be scared."

Though I couldn't see him clearly in the dark, I saw him reach out his hand. It brushed my own hand and I realized then how very cold I was. I pulled my blanket closer around me and yawned.

Maybe I was a little bit tired.

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 **Thanks so much for reading!**

 **Please review!**

 **TMG4899  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**TrueManevolanGirl4899 now presents...**

 **CHAPTER 4!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Alby and I stayed awake all the rest of that night; sometimes talking, sometimes silent. Our words were short, but our silences were comfortable, and so silence was dominant.

I think that was the night I started to trust him a little more.

When the sun arose and showed itself the next morning, we were ready for it. Somehow, the light made things seem a just a little less terrible and frightening. At least now we could see what, or who, we were up against.

As it would turn out, though, we didn't need to fight anyone.

Alby pulled back the cloth barrier that divided the threshold of our shelter from the outside to discover a tall boy, seemingly waiting for us.

We froze.

He smirked.

"I was wondering when you'd come out," he said in greeting, looking a tiny bit uncertain.

Alby gave me a light shove, and I ended up behind him, peeking over his shoulder.

The first thing I noticed about this boy was his knife. A knife that was identical to the one that had cut my ear last night. I subconsciously touched the scab on my ear and winced. The boy didn't seem to notice.

He was leaning against the tree that supported our shelter. His tan, muscular arms were crossed. His shaggy, dark brown hair fell in his eyes, but he didn't brush it away. He was taller than Alby by a good deal, and his eyes sparked with something akin to confidence. That confidence, however, shadowed something else: curiosity, and maybe just a bit of fear.

"What's your name?" Alby demanded of the boy.

The boy's smile wavered, as he replied, "Haven't a clue. What about you?"

Alby didn't answer him.

I probably shouldn't have, either, but I felt drawn to this strange boy.

"I don't know mine either, but I'm sure you'll remember it soon," I told him, still behind Alby.

Alby turned to me with a glare that also held a substantial amount of shock. I didn't meet his eyes.

Even I was surprised at the strength of my voice.

The boy looked at me.

"Did I hit you last night? Sorry about the knife; I wasn't paying attention."

The sentence confused me, but as I prepared to tell him that I was fine, Alby butted in.

"You hit her ear and made her bleed."

I felt like rolling my eyes. This feeling of bravery was, I believe, inspired by the boy, and I still had no idea why that was.

Alby seemed somewhat satisfied when the boy looked surprisingly guilty.

He apologized again. "I didn't mean to hit you," he told me, embarrassed. "Are you alright?"

Alby, again, answered for me. "She was bleeding. What do you think?" He didn't wait for an answer. "I think you should go now."

Alby put a hand on my shoulder and started to push me back inside the shelter, but I ducked out of his grip and took a few steps towards the other boy.

"I'm fine, it was just a scratch. When did you come out of the box?" I questioned him.

"Girl," came Alby's almost-growl.

The boy and I ignored him.

"Not too soon after it arrived. I hid behind the crates while you and your friend took some supplies from the box, then jumped out while you were putting them in your… what is that? A shelter?" My nod encouraged him to continue. "You took all the food from the box, though, so I figured if I threw my knife close enough, I'd scare you away from the campfire, and I could grab some food from your store to eat."

A hand pulled on my wrist as Alby dragged me away from the boy. I followed reluctantly, because it would have been futile to struggle against Alby anyway. The boy watched on in amusement, not moving from his spot against the tree.

We went around to the other side of the shelter; out of earshot, but positioned so that Alby could still see the boy. Alby backed me against another tree, so I couldn't duck away this time.

"What, Alby?" I asked him.

"Stop. Why are you talking to him? He cut you last night."

"He was hungry," I defended. "It's a good enough reason. He's stuck here, too, so we might as well be friendly."

Alby took a moment to think before answering. "Fine, we'll play it your way. But I'm watching him, so he better not try anything."

I studied him closely. "You know, you seem to be pretty good at this protective thing. I'd be willing to bet that you had a sister, you know, before." It was a simple enough observation, but Alby froze.

"Maybe. But even if I did, she's not the one stuck here with me. You are. So, I suggest-"

I stop him before he can go any further. "Don't forget that I was here first; not you."

Alby finally let me go without protest.

Later that day, the boy and I had talked a little more. I noticed that Alby is never far away, though, and was very careful not to let either of us out of his sight.

The boy didn't frighten me, strangely enough. He seemed familiar, like maybe I used to know him before the Glade.

He asked me several more times whether I was sure that I wasn't hurt from last night.

"I'm sure," I assured him quietly. I brushed my hair away from my ear. "Look. See? It's fine."

The boy leaned closer to inspect my ear. "Alright, I believe you."

My mouth twitched. "Did you end up eating?"

The boy shrugged. "I managed to grab a bag of nuts that was sitting right on top of the pile," he told me.

We sat quietly for a few moments more.

"He calls you 'girl'. Why?"

"Because I can't remember my name. Just like you," I explained to him.

The boy shook his head. "I remembered just a little while ago. I'm Klaus. Nice to meet you."

"I… don't know who I am." I said this with thoughtfulness. "But it's nice to meet you anyway."

Klaus raised an eyebrow at me. "You're lying," he told me with a smile. "Don't ask me how I know; I just know that you are. So, what's your name?"

I turned my head to look at Alby. He was carving the bark off a long, thick stick, all the while glaring at us both. I rolled my eyes when I looked back at Klaus. "He doesn't like you," I said.

"I can tell, and don't change the subject. Why won't you tell me your name?" He prodded me as we reclined in the grass.

"Let's say that I do know what my name is. Why would I tell you?" I was serious now. "I've known Alby for a month and I haven't even told him. What reasons have you given me to trust you? Other than being concerned for my ear; the one that you cut."

"Fair enough," Klaus conceded. "But I told you my name."

I didn't answer him.

"You've been here a month?" He was disbelieving.

"Two months," came the answer, but not from me.

Klaus and I both turned in surprise to face Alby, who had snuck up behind us. "I've been here a month. She's been here two months."

Klaus looked down.

Alby gestured for me to follow him. "Sun's setting. Let's get back to the shelter."

And because the dark scared me, I followed him.

* * *

 **So there you have it!**

 **Please review! It feeds my muse...**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **TMG4899**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello, my wonderful readers!**

 **I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Klaus settled in quickly. Within days, he had learned our routine, and we had learned that he had a green thumb. He got beans to grow in three days. These were the same beans that Alby had been trying to coax for three weeks. Alby was jealous, and I think I found myself a little impressed.

Which is another thing of interest: Alby and Klaus weren't friends, they were competitors in a race that neither of them could win, because neither of them would concede.

Alby still didn't like me to be alone with Klaus, but eventually, Klaus stopped just letting me tag along with whatever Alby said.

" _Girl!" Alby called from across the field. "Let's go!"_

 _It was getting dark, and Alby never liked to be out past dark for too long. I started to get up, but Klaus stopped me with a hand on my shoulder._

" _You don't have to go; I like talking to you."_

 _I shrugged. "Alby wants to go in."_

" _Why do you listen to him? He can't be too much older than you. You're what… twelve? Thirteen? And he can't be more than sixteen. He said it himself, you were here first. No matter how old you are, doesn't that still give you seniority?" He questioned me rapidly and I found myself unable to reply, so I just shook my head, confused._

" _He's Alby, and what we've been doing works, so why mess with things now?"_

 _Klaus just shook his head, almost in disgust, and, leaning back, closed his eyes as he settled on the grass._

Klaus didn't like to sleep in the shelter. He only ever spent two nights in our shelter. Usually he slept in the thick upper branches of the tree that partially supported our shelter. He had a blanket that Alby had grudgingly given him, and he claimed that he was perfectly comfortable. I didn't always believe him, but he never seemed to suffer from lack of sleep, despite the fact that he was always up before Alby and I. Both nights that he had spent in the shelter had been special circumstances.

The first was when I had a fever and Klaus had spent the night with me. The meat that the box had brought up that the morning hadn't tasted right, and by evening, I was shivering and covered in sweat, even though the night was exceptionally cold. I don't remember much, other than Klaus and Alby looking very stressed and very tired.

That was the first, and pretty much only, time I'd ever seen Klaus and Alby work together. While Alby went to fetch water to cool me down and help my burning throat, Klaus sat with me and didn't move from my side all night. Not until my fever broke early the next morning. Alby told me afterwards he had thought that I was going to die.

" _I guess Klaus isn't all bad," he told me reluctantly._

 _I smiled weakly._

The second time he slept in the shelter was when we heard Grievers shrieking during the daytime. This had never happened before. Klaus had claimed he was just making sure that I was alright, but I knew that he was nervous. Alby was surprisingly willing to let Klaus into the shelter. Much less so when Klaus wanted to sit next to me.

 _Alby watched with slightly narrowed eyes as Klaus and I sat on my mat, facing each other and talking quietly. Alby was on his own pad, fingering his knives, which he had become very attached to. We had fled to the safety of the shelter when we had heard the Grievers' shrieks. With the concrete doors open, we figured that we had better be safe than sorry, even though our flimsy shelter walls offered nothing more than a hiding place. Klaus was helping me keep my mind off of what could possibly be creeping up on us, by encouraging me to speak._

" _Are you going to stay in here tonight?" I asked Klaus, hoping his answer would be yes._

 _He shrugged nonchalantly. "Might as well. If it keeps you from having nightmares."_

" _I do_ not _have nightmares," I told him firmly, even though it was a lie._

" _Yes, you do."_

 _This reply was offered by Alby, and he smirked when I turned my head to look at him in frustration._

 _Klaus smirked. "Big brother knows all," he teased._

 _This put a strange feeling in me. "He is not my brother. We're just…"_

" _Friends? Whatever. Come back and talk to me when other boys get up here, and Alby refuses to let you talk to any of them."_

 _I watched Alby roll his eyes, but also noticed that he didn't deny it._

 _Klaus leaned in closer. "I'll stay in here tonight."_

I was sitting just outside the shelter. Alby and Klaus were being boys and having a knife-throwing contest. It started when Alby had thrown a knife at a tree. Klaus, meaning a compliment, told him " _awesome_ ". Alby took it for sarcasm, and told Klaus that if Klaus could throw better himself, then maybe he wouldn't have hit my ear (I believe both of them were still sore about that particular incident, but for different reasons). It had escalated quickly from there.

I thought about their efforts to learn my name. Without any other memories, my name felt precious to me. It felt like my life had slipped through my fingers and all I had managed to grasp was one thing. My name. Giving it out now felt like I would be giving out my last connection to my old life. Like, if I said it out loud to someone else, then it was cursed or something.

I liked my name. It was a little strange, and I didn't know what it meant, but I liked it.

"Indigo," I whispered, trying it out. As I rolled the word around my mind, I didn't take my eyes off the boys.

They were now arguing about who knew how to sharpen a knife properly.

Alby threw a comment about how his knives actually pierce the wood. Klaus gives up with the knives, but reminds Alby about the beans that Klaus coaxed out of the dry ground.

Supposedly, I was sorting food and making sure that it was sealed, but I had long finished and was now entertaining myself with my own mind.

I'd found that the company of two boys, who were feeling slightly cooped up no less, could become quite… trying.

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 **TMG4899**


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